New “digital divide” emerges as AI course applications surge

Dr Michael Crabb, Head of Computing at the University’s Faculty of Science, Engineering and Business, says a surge in applications for Dundee’s AI-related courses reflects growing demand from learners who want to remain relevant to modern employers.

“AI is already starting to create a new digital divide,” said Dr Crabb.

“Previously, the digital divide was between people who could access and use digital technology and those who could not. Now, however, the divide is increasingly between people who can use AI tools successfully to do what they need to do and those who cannot.

“That does not mean only understanding how to type a prompt into a chatbot. AI use is not binary. People may use AI for a single task, to support a sustained piece of work, to analyse complex information, to create structured outputs, or to integrate AI into wider workflows. These are very different levels of capability.

“The challenge is not whether people use AI, but how well they use it.”

The University delivers more than a dozen AI-related courses across subjects including computing, medicine, biomedical engineering, and business. Dr Crabb says humans will remain critical to these evolving technologies, with AI creating new opportunities for those who can understand, apply, and develop these systems responsibly.

The growth in applications comes at a time when AI is being positioned as central to the UK’s future economic prosperity and national security. In April, Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, Liz Kendall, said the UK must build its AI sector and strengthen its capability in technologies that underpin AI.

Dr Crabb said Dundee’s AI provision reflects two linked areas of demand. Some students want to understand how to use generative AI tools effectively in their future careers, while others want to understand the technologies behind AI systems, including machine learning and large language models.

“AI is a very loaded phrase because public interest in AI is often focused on generative AI and how those tools are used,” he added.

“However, the popularity we are seeing in degree programmes also reflects interest in the development of machine learning and the technologies used to create the large language models and AI systems that are now shaping professional life.

“That is exciting because future students are not just interested in how to maximise the potential of AI systems. They also want to understand how those systems work, how they are developed, and how they can be applied responsibly in different professional contexts.”

Dr Crabb has also been selected as a member of the inaugural Google Higher Education Faculty AI Fellowship cohort. He is one of a small number of academics selected from across Europe, the Middle East and Africa to join the programme.

Through the fellowship, he will explore how universities can move beyond basic AI awareness and develop clearer models of AI capability for students and staff.

“At most universities, the way students are taught how to use generative AI is fragmented,” he said.

“There is often no clear definition of the AI capabilities required by a typical graduate, or how those capabilities translate into the workplace.

“My work through the Fellowship will look at how higher education can develop a practical roadmap for AI capability. That means helping students and staff understand where they are now, what good practice looks like, and how to progress from basic use towards more critical, confident, and integrated AI-enabled work.

“For Dundee, this is about giving students well-rounded skills, not training them to use one specific tool. The tools will change, but the underlying capabilities — judgement, verification, context management, workflow design, and responsible use — will remain important.

“By building that knowledge and versatility, we can help our graduates become more adaptable and employable in the future.”